Valve-guard



(No Model.)

W. F. NIEBLING.

VALVE GUARD.

' Patented Sept. 8, 1896.

heavy pressure.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. NIEBLING, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

VALVE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 567,279, datedSeptember 8, 1896. Application filed November 1, 1895. Serial No.567,628. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. NIEBLING, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new anduseful Valve- Guard; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which 'it appertains tomake and use the same, attention being called to the accompanyingdrawings, with the referencenumerals marked thereon, which of thisspecification.

This invention relates to valves such as are used in connection with thecylinders of pumps, compressors, and similar machines.

It relates more particularly to the valves of compression-pumps used inconnection with ice-machines. In these pumps a breakage of thevalve-stem occurs frequently by reason of the hard wear of the parts,dueto the After such has occurred the valve, not being restrained in anyway, drops into the cylinder, whereupon by the next stroke of thepiston, being in the way of the latter, it is shoved against one of thecylinderheads with the inevitable result of bursting the same. Greatdamage to property is always caused by these explosions, frequentlyaccompanied by loss of life.

Various means have been devised to prevent the valve from dropping intothe cylinder after broken from its stem, and a new and improved devicefor this same purpose forms, therefore, the subject of my invention,

of which the following specification and claim contain a completedescription, together with its operative parts and construction, whichlatter is also illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 shows in a vertical section part of the head of acompression-pump containing,

one of the valve-chambers and valve. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section ofthe valve-chamber, taken on a line above the valve.

5 is a part of the head, parts of which are open and extended outwardlyto provide the necessary room for the reception of the valvechambers 6.The lower or inner end of the latter is contracted and forms thevalve-seat 7 thereat.

8 is the valve, fitted to be seated against it,

form a party connecting to or forming part of the valvestem 9; The valveis guidediby the valveguide 10, which receives the stem of the formerand which is suitably secured, in this case to the upper or outer end ofthe valve-chamber. This latter with all its parts is held in position bya head 11, secured to the outwardlyextended part of the head 5. Head 11is also extended outwardly and forms a sprin g-housing 12, containing aspring 13, which, by hearing against a shoulder 14 on the valve-stem,keeps the valve normally seated. The gas or other matter to be pumpedenters through a pipe 15. It is usually at the thin part where the valvestem breaks, whereupon, unless preventive means are employed, in uprightpumps the valve drops immediately into the cylinder, while in horizontalpumps, if it does not do so at once, it rests in a tilted position,which prevents it from becoming evenly seated.

The dropping of the valve into the cylinder is prevented by securing aprojection or guard 16 to the lower thicker part of the valve-stemimmediately back of the valve and so close to the latter as the requiredclearance for its movement permits. This projection extends far enoughout to meet and partly overlap an inward projection of thevalve-chamber, which projection is either purposely designed or may beformed by the inwardly-contracted inner end of the valve-chest, whichforms the valve-seat 7. The projection obtained in the latter way is themost practical construction. It is evident that if the valve-stem breaksthe valve can only drop to the extent of its usual movement, in whichposition it will hang suspended by reason of the outward-projectingguard back of it meeting with the inwardlyprojecting parts of thevalve-chest. On the next stroke of the piston the valve will be simplypushed against its seat and no damage can result. This projecting guard;should also 'act as a guide to hold the valve central and prevent itfrom tilting, so that it may come evenly to its seat when pushed by thepiston. For such purpose it is shaped as shown in Fig. 2 by having acontinuous rim 17, fitting the bore of the valve-chamber and secured 'byarms 18 to a central hub, through-which the valve-stem passes. It may besecured to the latter in any suitable way. In this case it rests againstshoulder 19 on the stem, with '12, so as to be visible.

a lock-nut 2O placed against it from the other side. The outer face ofrim 17, which bears against the inner surface of the valve-chest, ispreferably recessed, as shown in Fig. 1, to reduce friction. Spring 13might be transposed and be placed below the guard 16, or an additionalspring 21 might be used to assume the function of the former spring incase the valve-stem is broken, whereby the first spring is preventedfrom acting on the valve for the purpose of closing it. To be enabled toreadily detect any disorder of the valve or breakage of the stem, thislatter is extended outwardly through the end of spring-housing In caseof a breakage this visible end 22 would of course be motionless.Ordinarily it is covered by a readily- .removable screw-cap 23, screwingonto a threaded boss 24 at the outer end of housing 12. In a valve thusguarded it is not necessary to have any clearance at the end of thepiston-stroke, and the piston may move up close to the head, whereby anyrexpansion of the once-compressed gas is avoided and a more economicaloperation of the pump obtained.

It is evident that the specific construction of the valve and its chest,as described, has no particular relation to my improvement, which may beadapted to most of the present forms of valves.

Having described my invention, I claim as new In combination with avalve-chest having inwardly-projecting parts, a valve connected to thevalve-stem, means to guide the latter, a shoulder 19 thereon,immediately back of the valve, a guard 16, consisting of a hub fittedaround the valve stem and against shoulder 19 thereon, arms 1.8projecting therefrom and a rim 17 supported by them, which latter fitsagainst the interior surface of the valve-chest, whereby the valve isheld to the valve-chest and centrally guided independently of thevalve-stem and a lock nut 20, bearing against the hub of guard 16, tohold it in position against shoulder 19.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

XVILLIAM F. NIEBLING.

Witnesses:

C. SPENGEL, ARTHUR KLINE.

